On 28 May 2006, Mrs. Baisi Pokharia and Mrs. Rekha Garsia were gang-raped in Nadia village, India, because their husbands are Christians and refused to deny Christ. The two women recollect the events surrounding their ‘nightmare’.

 

 

“On 28 May, the leaders of the village came and took my husband Gokharya Barela. They beat him all the way to Sirvil village, about two kilometres from Nadia. The brought him before the Panchayat (village court) which had gathered. They beat him and told him to deny Jesus, but he would not. Someone said that these Christians don’t drink alcohol, “so if we make him drink liquor, he will become a non-Christian.” So they forced alcohol into his mouth. Then they asked him to give up Jesus or give up his land. He said, “I will leave anything but not Jesus.”

 

“The village head, Pandya Patel, said, “You people can do anything you want to their women. There will not be any police case. If there is any case, I will handle it.”

 

“So later that day some men came to our village. I saw from my house two men molesting my pregnant sister-in-law (my brother’s wife, Rekha Garsia.) My husband was not at home and I felt vulnerable. I ran and took shelter in the neighbouring house. It was around 10:00pm.

 

“They came and found me. They dragged me out and took me to the field. They undressed me and threw the clothes on the ground. They both repeatedly raped me. My husband and his friend were walking to our home from the friend’s village. They heard my cry and came to rescue me. But there were a few others standing as guards. They caught hold of my husband and his friend. They started to beat the friend more than my husband. My husband took me home but they were beating his friend, taking him to the village leader. There they bound him to a tree and reported to the village leader Nandya Ram Shing Patel. The leader later came and released him.

 

“The people who raped me told my husband and me that if we told this to anyone, they would kill us. As we were shocked and frightened, we did not do anything. When the next day came, we were warned that we should not leave the village and that we would be fools to report  the incident because it would cost us our lives.

 

“But on the second night, we escaped to a neighbouring village and found shelter in a Christian neighbour’s house. (As the leader of the village had also threatened this Christian family, they decided to become Hindus).

 

“Because a petition made by various groups put pressure on the police, there was relief for us and we returned to the village. But I am afraid and frightened when I see those who beat my husband or raped me. I feel so ashamed.”

 

“On 28 May, some men came to our home after a meeting with the leader of the Panchayat (village court). They caught hold of me and started to molest me. I escaped but as I am seven months pregnant, I could not run far. So I ran to my father-in-law’s house, which is 200 metres away. My father-in-law tried to save me. They started to beat my father-in-law with firewood and the poor man ran for his life. Three men came to my in-laws’ house and found me hiding. They dragged me out and threw me on the cot that was put outside the house for my father-in-law. (The cot was broken and the police have taken it away as evidence.) They undressed me. Three men raped me.

 

“When my mother-in-law started to shout out and try to save me, one man took a big piece of firewood and hit her on the back. Writhing with pain she sat there shouting at the men. (My in-laws are old and Hindu). As they were leaving, they warned us, “You tell this to anyone and try to make a complaint, and we will get rid of you forever.”

 

“My husband was in the next village. The next day when he came, the people who raped me came and warned me again, saying, “If you dare to report this to anyone or try to go out of the village, we will not let you live.”

 

“This was on Sunday night. On Tuesday night, we left the village without anyone seeing us. On Wednesday we went to the police station. The police inspector told me, “You are a prostitute and you are trying to blame these innocent people.” He continually verbally verbally  abused us.

 

“They kept us in the station until evening. Somehow the news was reported in Delhi and also to the minority commission member of Madhya Predesh, Mrs. Iyengar. She called the commissioner and he called the police inspector and demanded to know why the case was not registered and why he kept us at the station without cause. Only then did they file the case. The police took the clothes as evidence of rape and said that they would send it to a lab’ for DNA testing. I don't think they will do justice with them. Will justice be done for us?  

 

“One police officer came with us to the Khargon district government hospital. The doctor did a medical check-up. We were told that the report says that there was a rape but they did not show us the report or give a copy to us.“

 

Eddie Lyle, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, commented, “Time and time again we hear from persecuted Christians that letters of encouragement are ‘like oxygen’ to them. What these sisters have experienced is beyond most of our worst nightmares. They need to experience the cleansing, healing reassurance of the love and respect of the family of God."

 

 

 

 

The two women are illiterate. Cards and letters will be translated and then read to them so that they can understand the messages of encouragement. A personal visit by a representative is tentatively planned for October 2006 to meet the two women and get an update of their current situation. Another visit will be made after    mid-February 2007 to deliver the cards of encouragement.

 

 

·         Ensure all letters/cardsare recieved by 15 January 2007 at the latest

·        Post to Open Doors UK, PO Box 6, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 6WG, United Kingdom and Open Doors will forward mail on

·         Do not mention Open Doors or 24-7 Prayer in the letters

·         Greeting cards, artwork by children and postcards are best (send postcards in an envelope, and do not write the Open Doors’ address on the postcard)

·         Print clearly (only write in English)

·         Be encouraging, keep the message brief, but include one to two Bible verses

·         Do not say anything negative about Hindus or the government

·         Provide your name & country, not your full address

·         Don't send money with the letters.